Tuesday, May 08, 2007

6 Vietnamese dissidents to stand trial for establishing political parties

Six Vietnamese political activists will stand trial this week for spreading anti-government propaganda and forming political parties in opposition to The Communist Party of Vietnam, Reuters reported on Sunday.

Carl Thayer of the University of New South Wales in Canberra , a prominent observer of Vietnam , says that the trials are an indication that Hanoi does not want anything to disturb May’s National Assembly elections. He added that despite “measurable improvement” for tolerance of political criticism, there were “three no’s – no political pluralism, no multiparty system and no political opposition.”

A spokesman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the arrested persons are being tried for disobeying the law and not “due to their political views or religion.”